Herniated Disc Treatment – Helpful Tips for Fast Relief

Herniated disc treatment can be somewhat discouraging, because most of the treatments available through traditional medical methods only provide temporary relief, if that. This article will discuss the most common treatments available for a bulging disc, as well as 3 simple things you can use from home for relief.

But before we get into that, we need to discuss what a spinal disc is, as well as what a bulging disc is, so you understand why the tips I will make in this article will provide relief.

The spinal discs are cushions that are located between each set of bones in the back. Their main purpose is to absorb shock, which protects the bones from too much force, which could cause quite a bit of pain.

Each spinal disc is composed of two main parts – a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. The jelly in the center is very important, because this is where the disc keeps nutrition and oxygen in order for the disc to stay healthy, and heal if a problem ever occurs.

One of the things that complicates any disc condition is the fact that the discs of the spine do not have a very good blood supply. Usually, the body uses blood to transport oxygen and nutrients to injured areas of the body, so they can heal more quickly. One of the tips I give you later in this article will help bring new oxygen and nutrients to the jelly of the disc for healing more quickly.

In the case of a bulging disc, the outer covering tears, and the jelly in the center begins to shift into the area of the injury. This causes the disc to bulge against the nerves of the spine, which causes quite a bit of pain. In addition to this, because the nerves are agravated, this condition can also cause quite a bit of disability, simply because the nerves of the spine control everything in the body.

In fact, one of the things you may not know about a spinal disc is that they can not feel pain, which sounds odd at first, but if you think about it, it makes sense considering the fact that they’re absorbing shock all day.

So, it’s important to understand that all of the pain is actually coming from the pressure on the nerve. This is really the reason that most herniated disc treatments are not successful for the long term – they are all primarily designed to address the painful nerve, which sounds good at first, but they do not really get to the cause of the problem, which is the bulging disc.

For example, most physicians will begin by prescribing muscle relaxers and pain relieving medications, which are typically successful about 30% of the time. The reason for this is because they numb the nerve, but don’t do anything for the disc herniation.

Physical therapy is also typically recommended, and although I’m a supporter of physical therapy, with this condition, it often doesn’t provide a long term result. The same is true for pain injections (such as cortisone and epidurals), which usually provide relief about 50% of the time, but the pain inevitably comes back.

Surgery has the lowest success rate of all (16% according to the medical journal Spine), which is why most physicians will try everything else before recommending surgery. Not only that, surgery is also temporary, and the pain usually re-occurs within 5 years after having the surgery if you’re fortunate enough to experience relief to begin with.

This is why most have a difficult time finding a bulging disc treatment that will provide long-term relief. The good news is that there are actually a number of treatment options for a bulging disc that are effective, and truthfully, it usually requires a combination of specific treatments to accomplish the end result you are hoping for.

In this article, I’m going to give you 3 simple treatment options for a bulging disc that can be used from home, but understand this is only part of the solution – I’ll give you a helpful resource at the end of the article if you’d like to learn more. Each bulging disc treatment that I’m about to tell you about needs to be followed as I outline for best results.

The first recommendation I’ll give you is to use ice. Most people want to use heat with this condition, which is truly the worst thing you can do. Heat will aggravate the nerve more, and cause additional swelling in the affected area, which also causes more pain.

Ice will numb the affected nerve, and slow the inflammatory process, which will provide faster relief. If you want to see the fastest results with ice, you should use real ice rather than a substitute (such as frozen vegetables), and you should place the ice directly on the skin over the painful area.

Leave the ice on for 15 minutes maximum, or until you feel numbness, whichever comes first. Then, repeat the ice treatment every hour – it will require 3 to 4 treatments before you feel any relief, and it often takes about 3 days to experience a considerable difference in your pain level.

The next bulging disc treatment I will share with you is actually an easy exercise utilizing a therapy ball. A therapy ball is one of those large balls you see in health clubs or physical therapy offices. People usually use them for abdominal exercises, but, the exercise I will recommend for you is actually very easy.

All you have to do is sit on the ball and gently bounce up and down for 5 minutes each day. Remember how we were discussing earlier how the jelly in the disc is where the oxygen and nutrients are kept for healing? This exercise will pump every disc in the spine, which pumps new oxygen and nutrients into the disc for faster healing.

The final treatment options for a bulging disc I will recommend today is another exercise utilizing a mini-trampoline. You can find a small trampoline (usually about 4 feet wide) at most sports stores, and you simply want to stand in the center of the trampoline and march in place for 5 minutes a day.

Don’t jump with this exercise – marching will force the body to re-balance the muscles in the entire spine, which takes a lot of pressure off the damaged disc. This exercise will go a long way for not only relieving the pain, but also for healing the bulging disc.

If you would like to learn more about the most effective treatment options for a bulging disc, as well as the combination of those treatments that I recommend for the best results, you can click here (treatment for a back disc) to get all the details.

Did you find this article helpful? Here are some other related articles and resources you may also find useful:

• Here is a list of the best resources I've found for Bulging Disc / Herniated Disc relief
• Herniated Disc Treatments – Home Care Tips For Fast Relief
• Treatment Of A Herniated Disc – Helpful Tips For Fast Relief
• Treatment Of Bulging Discs - The Top 3 Things You Can Do From Home For Relief
• More Herniated Disc Resources